Plan Your Development, Shape Your Future: Why Your PDP Matters
Kate Furniss, Education and CPD Operations Manager, on the importance of registrants creating a personal development plan (PDP) to map out their Continuing Professional Development (CPD) over the 2025-27 cycle.
Feel like your career is moving, but you’re not always steering? Wish your CPD actually matched where you want to go?
That’s where a Personal Development Plan (PDP) comes in - it’s your map for making sure your learning takes you exactly where you want to be.
A requirement of our CPD scheme, the PDP helps you step back and look at the bigger picture. Instead of simply ticking off activities, you’re thinking about where you are now, where you want to be, and how you’re going to get there. It’s about making sure your learning is meaningful, targeted, and aligned with your career goals.
We know that the majority of registrants have already created a PDP for this 2025-27 CPD cycle, using the online form on MyCPD. For those yet to create one, please do so as soon as possible. The next registrant review will start in early September, and reviewers will be looking for your PDP and reminding you if you haven’t completed it.
The PDP gives you the chance to reflect on your current scope of practice, identify CPD activities that will be most useful, and plan them over your three-year cycle. The earlier you do it, the better! It sets you up for success and helps make sure you’re getting the most out of your CPD.
Your PDP isn’t something you write once and forget about. Careers shift, interests evolve, and new opportunities appear. That’s why reviewing and updating your plan regularly is so important. You can add new learning outcomes at any time during the cycle, so your PDP grows with you.
To make the process easier, we’ve built in some support. Reflections from your last cycle’s reflective exercise will be displayed when you start your PDP. These can help you spot patterns, identify gaps, and set clear, achievable objectives. You’ll also need your PDP at hand to complete your reflective exercise at the end of this cycle.
So if you’re yet to do so, create your PDP today. It will help you take control of your development. Visit MyCPD to complete the online form and check out our Completing a PDP webpage for guidance and tips. A little planning now can make a big difference to your career three years from now!
As always, the GOC CPD team are here to support you if you have any queries – simply email [email protected].
